Party Crasher
by ThisIsTrueImmortality
Summary: A nomad crosses through the woods of Forks in search of prey-and instead stumbles upon one of the strangest parties he's ever seen. HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!


**Author's Note: HAPPY NEW YEAR! To celebrate, I have written a quick Twilight oneshot!**

**If you were one of those unfortunate enough to put up with my music taste, you would realize I have a fondness for dance remixes. So here's one to set the mood for this oneshot!**

**Dance or Die (The Secret Handshake Van Halen Remix)- by Family Force 5 .com/watch?v=-T9WfWqKsuk**

**Enjoy, and have a blessed New Year, friends!**

Party Crasher: A Twilight Oneshot

It wasn't the loud music that distracted me; it was the laughter.

Long and loud, it echoed over the dark forest, its discordance similar to a foghorn in my ears. I paused on my way through the mammoth trees, turning toward the sound.

I listened harder as the echoes started to die down to a murmur, slowly melting into the rowdy music. There had been an odd, bell-like quality to those laughs that struck a note (no pun intended) somewhere in my brain. Like the laughs had originated from something other than my prey. Those scents I had smelled a few miles back-sweet and pleasant, like any of our kind's-might have to do with the noise.

Without any consent from my mind, my feet changed direction and started running toward the sound. I shrugged to myself. What could it hurt, simply investigating the noise? It wasn't as if I had to stay and make conversation. If the noisemakers were human, I might even just find myself some dinner. I had been told that the selection of hikers and trail-blazers was rich in the Olympic Peninsula, and that's why I had chosen to bypass the small town of Forks in favor of its encompassing forest. As little human contact as possible was always preferable to me.

As I trundled steadily through the trees I remembered that, during my short time as a human, I had been a sociable boy. Not too much of a partier, but outgoing. I still enjoyed some company on the road, but only when there was plenty of food to go around. There had been a couple times when I had been forced to fight for my life, not just for my kill for the day. My last encounter with a woman in Canada made me think that traveling alone was the best course.

That's why, as I came upon the source of the music and noise and laughter, I froze up with pure anxiety.

Through the break in the trees I could see the outline of a grand old house, its back illuminated by thousands of tiny lights strung up on its eaves. The lights glittered off the wall of glass that wrapped around the bottom floor, and there were yet more lights lined up on the tables and chairs pushed onto the porch. The whole place glowed with synthetic gold light.

The dance music was vibrating my teeth now that I was this close, and I was still several hundred feet into the woods. Undoubtedly, that raucous beat was coming from the enormous stereo that had obviously been dragged out of the house for this...whatever it was. Occasion? Revelry? It couldn't be a party. Becuase I had finally seen the laughing people, and I knew people like _them_ didn't have parties.

They were like me: pale skin, fantastic beauty, quick movements. And yet they weren't like me. They seemed at ease with each other. Happy, even. They were smiling, I think, or maybe baring their teeth. But then why were they dancing together, if they were hostile to each other?

They really were dancing, I realized.

There were twenty of them. Never before in my life had I seen so many vampires all gathered in one place. How could there be so _many _of them? All together, like they were...friends? Something had to be wrong.

The rush of every vampire's different scent intruded into my nose, making me grimace. It was like standing in the produce section of a human super market. The scents were so jumbled up that I had trouble pinpointing any individual one. I stepped back a pace, shaking my head to clear it. It was too much at once.

What if they found out that I was here and they all came after me? Against a coven this size, I wouldn't stand a chance. I needed to leave. For a second I thought that the two vampires closest to me, a devastatingly beautiful blonde and a massive, dark-haired man, would sense my presence and alert the others. But after a minute of watching them dance (if that's what you could call it), I knew they wouldn't notice a nomad if he came up and bit one of them on the leg.

To my surprise, that pair was the only one dancing as a couple. The rest of the coven was mingling on the large lawn behind the house like they were all related, brothers and sisters. Here, a rangy male was twirling a tiny redhead into the arms of a broad-shouldered Irishman. There, a trio of tall, tan women were moving their sinuous bodies in time with the music, partnerless. A boy with strange coppery hair was dividing himself between a youthful brunette and an even younger girl with odd, creamy skin.

They were definitely vampires, yes, but what strange vampires they were. In spite of my misgivings, I took another step forward. I would take a closer look for just a minute, and then I would be off. No matter how friendly these coven members were to each other, I didn't share the hope that they would pardon an unannounced nomad on their land.

I wanted to know what the occasion was. Surely they didn't party like this every night, or not even once a week? The human police force would notice. And whose house was that? Maybe, I thought with a chill, they were one of those armies I had been warned about, and this was the house of some hapless townsperson they'd killed. For all I knew, they were celebrating their recent conquest of Seattle. If that was the case, I had to get out of there now.

"Hold up," called one of the vampires from the crowd, and I almost thought he was talking to me. "Someone's coming through the front yard!"

A short girl with erratic black hair and a wild black dress shot from among the dancers. "It's our friends from the rez," the girl said, her voice unconcerned. "I'll show them in." She turned and darted past the house. I could hear her shout from where I stood. "The party's back here, boys!"

"So dignified, Alice," said the copper-haired boy, from his position on the back porch. "Show a little composure for the wolf boys." The short girl pretended not to hear him. One of the two females he'd been dancing with, the brunette with the young face, took his hand and stood with him under the eaves. They were obviously mates.

I wondered who the "wolf boys" from "the rez" were, and it wasn't long before I found out. A lull in the merry-making brought my attention to the cluster of boys behind the short girl, Alice, as she brought them to the back lawn. I received a minor shock as I heard the heartbeats thundering in the newcomers' chests. The recent additions to the party were humans? Was this, then, how the gigantic coven fed itself? They lured their prey to their headquarters under the guise of a party?

But, no. None of the vampires made any move toward the boys-and one girl, I noted. Of the newcomers, she was the only one without a hesitant smile on her face. Arms folded, she stared defiantly at the crowd of vampires now making way for Alice's guests. She was also the only one underdressed, too; she wore frayed blue jean shorts and a draping red top that had seen better days. The only appropriate part of her attire were her red heels, rather incongruent with her sloppy clothes. Still, for a human, she looked halfway decent.

Alice gave the foremost boy a playful shove, which didn't knock him into the ground as it should have. "Renesmee's been looking for you all night," she said. "I told her you'd come, but she didn't listen to me. And you three didn't have to sit in your car for an hour waiting for the others, either. It's not like we were going to eat you."

"Aunt Alice, please." The girl with creamy skin rolled her eyes at the short girl as she threw her arms around the human. "Happy New Year, Jake!" she said, smiling.

I was astounded. A vampire hugging a human. Never had I seen such a thing. I felt my mouth drop open as the human, Jake, swept the little girl off the ground and crushed her into his arms. "Happy New Year, Ness! Thanks for the invite, Alice," he added, as the girl named Renesmee led him off into the crowd.

Oh, I thought abstractedly. New Year's. Of course.

Alice waved one hand at Jake. "No problem! Oh, I love this song! Jasper, turn up the music!" Turning, she grabbed the youngest boy from the human batch and pulled him into a dance, her small figure overshadowed by her partner. The boy didn't react with fear at being seized by a vampire; he tossed an apologetic smile at the sulky human girl before throwing himself into the dance as enthusiastically as Alice.

Slowly, the rest of the human boys dispersed into the crowd. I watched in disbelief as they joined up with the immortals like they had no worry at all for their lives. When the attack came, they would be taken completely by surprise. I almost pitied them, poor unsuspecting children that they were.

Thinking of unsuspecting victims brought me back to my senses. I was thirsty, and I was right in a hostile coven's territory. It was time for me to leave. These strangers bothered me in a way I couldn't explain; they were unnatural. If I left the way I came, I could skirt their lair and be halfway to New Mexico before they knew I had been here. As quietly as I could, I pivoted on my heel-

And ran right into an incoming vampire.

Our collision made an ear-splitting crack like boulders breaking. Hissing in startlement, the vampire reeled back from me. In a blind panic, I tried to dodge around him, but he caught my arm and stopped me in my tracks. I snarled at him, terrified that he would expose me to the others. "Let me go!"

"Who are you?" asked the vampire, his black eyes wide. His grip on my arm was firm, but his manner didn't seem threatening. "I've never seen you before. Are you a friend of Carlisle?"

Carlisle? Was that the coven leader? I decided to take the chance. "Yes," I said, bluffing. "But I was just leaving. Sorry."

The man wasn't accepting my bluff. He eyed my disheveled appearance. "What was your name?"

I had resigned myself to breaking free and running for all I was worth when I heard a woman's voice from behind me. "Eleazar? Who's that?"

The vampire holding my arm, Eleazar, frowned at me. "I'm not sure."

The woman spoke again, this time with a hint of unease in her voice. "Well, you'd best bring him to Carlisle, then."

"He says he knows Carlisle," Eleazar said. I cringed.

I was doomed.

Appearing in a whirl of white, a statuesque woman with strawberry blonde hair appraised me with her exotic golden eyes. "_I've_ never seen him before," she told Eleazar, and from her authoritiative tone I thought that maybe she was second-in-command in the coven. "Well, come on, then. Let's see what Carlisle has to say about him." She turned and went back to the lawn. Eleazer followed, dragging me with him. I didn't resist; it seemed pretty useless, considering how hopelessly outnumbered I was.

As we made our way through the crowd, the vampires nearest to us grew still when we passed by. Most of them stared at me like I was screaming obscenities at them instead of coming quietly to my doom. A couple whispered to one another in voices too hushed for me to hear.

I could guess what they were saying: Who was this person disrupting their New Year's Eve party, and how soon would he be removed? I hoped that whoever Carlisle was, he would be decent and get it over with quickly. I had never cared for long, drawn out unpleasantries. That's why I killed my prey as fast and as painlessly as possible.

The woman in white ran up to yet another blonde male, who had been talking to the rangy vampire I had seen dancing, and put her hand to his ear, leaning forward to speak. The blonde's eyes found me; his eyebrows raised.

I waited for the man to dismiss me out of hand and have some of the coven members dispose of me. But instead he came toward me with his hands held conspicuously open at his sides, his expression curious. "Hello, stranger. What's your name?" he asked me, without any interrogation in his tone.

Irrationally, I felt compelled to tell this man the truth. "Silas."

"Silas. Tanya tells me that you know me." The man's golden eyes were as intelligent as any I had seen. I knew he would catch me in my lie.

Again, I told him the truth. "I was afraid your man here-" I glanced at Eleazar, who was still holding my arm, "would turn me in if I admitted I was a nomad. I didn't want to be caught by your...coven." I stumbled over the last word. Coven, indeed. More like an army.

The man I now assumed was Carlisle nodded thoughtfully. "You are a nomad, then? Passing through this region?"

"Yes. That's it," I said, not daring to hope I would be released. If I could make it clear that I wasn't part of an opposing army, maybe he would let me go. "I had no idea there was a coven in this area, or I wouldn't have encroached on your land."

"I think I should call Edward and Maggie," Tanya said, her own eyes trained on me in doubt.

She was about to walk off when Carlisle put out his hand to stop her. "Silas," he asked me, "are you telling the absolute truth when you say that you're alone?"

"Yes." I was so eager to appease them that my voice was hoarse from earnestness.

"You are completely alone?"

"There's no one with me, I swear."

"I believe him, Tanya," Carlisle said, his posture relaxing somewhat. "You can release him, Eleazar." Eleazar let go of me without any hesitation.

Tanya looked unsure. "But, Carlisle-"

"It's all right, Tanya." The boy with coppery hair came to stand with her, the youthful brunette at his side. "I heard the whole story. Silas is telling the truth."

Tanya hadn't taken Carlisle at his word, but she apparently instantly believed the boy. "If you say so, Edward, dear."

"You can go," the boy, Edward, told me.

A little bewildered by this turn of events, I nevertheless backed up, ready to extricate myself from this den of lions before they changed their minds. Carlisle had been more than civil to me, but I knew leaders of our kind could be unpredictable at best. I wasn't going to wait for his mood to change on me.

"Wait!" exclaimed the voice of the short girl, Alice, as she bounced through the crowd. "This is New Year's Eve," she said, as if she was scolding the vampires around her. "You're not just going to toss him out on the street, are you?" She turned to me. I was taken aback at her welcoming smile, but I thought it was odd that I felt no alarm. "There's room for one more. Are you sure you don't want to stay?"

"Uh-what?"

"Alice, are you sure that's such a-"

Edward was cut off by the energetic girl. "Absolutely! Come on, Silas. Just stay a couple hours! It's going to be midnight soon!"

Dumbstruck, I tried to find a graceful way to decline her invitation. "That's very-but-I can't-"

"Sure you can!" The girl clearly didn't often take no for an answer. "Here," Alice shoved an empty wine glass into my hand, "we were just about to toast! Stay for that, and I'll be happy!"

I stared at the wine glass, nonplussed. Alice bounded off through the crowd, her own glass raised high. The other vampires on the lawn were accepting glasses from a pretty female with a gentle face. They all jokingly swirled the glasses in the air like they were full of wine. Too stunned to collect my wits, I held mine limply in my hand.

"A toast, Carlisle!" called the Irishman, his voice a hearty boom from the crowd. Some others seconded his shout with raised glasses and cheers. Carlisle was hustled off by Edward and another blonde vampire. Goodnaturedly, the coven leader ascended to the porch and stood a moment till the guests calmed down. I took this time to depart.

I was just about to make my way through the crowd when Tanya's voice spoke into my ear. "I'd stay for the toast. This should be really interesting." I stepped back, wary of the woman who had voiced her doubts about me. Tanya gave me a wry smile. "The last time we had a party half this size, Carlisle's speech wasn't quite politically correct. I think he learned his lesson when he got thrown into a frozen lake, but I don't know-sometimes it takes him a while to catch on."

"You threw him into a lake?" Was all I could think of to say.

"I didn't, but it was all in good fun, anyway. Well, mostly in good fun." As she turned her gaze to the porch, I studied her. Tanya was a beautiful woman, and her flowing white dress with its shimmering quality fit her well. She held herself in a queenly way, too civilized for the other vampire women I had met. There was something very different about her.

"Thank you all for coming," Carlisle said, as graciously as a human host. The crowd cheered again. "I wasn't planning on giving a speech. You have Alice to thank for that." Alice bowed theatrically to the laughter. "So I'll make it short, my friends."

"Good!" shouted the human, Jacob. The girl Renesmee rolled her eyes.

"Thank you for your support, Jacob," Carlisle said, in mild sarcasm. "Well, we all know that this party is to celebrate the beginning of a new year. Although such an event is fairly commonplace to us-"

"Dead boring, you mean," supplied the rangy male.

"-This year in particular is one to remember," Carlisle continued, as if he hadn't heard the comment. "This celebration roughly marks a year from the time when none of us here thought we would survive to see another day."

The crowd grew more somber at those words, and I looked at Tanya questioningly. She didn't say anything, but she nodded to tell me that what Carlisle said was true.

"I don't want to dwell too long on that day," Carlisle said, his face suddenly dark. "But I do want to thank you all for what you offered to sacrifice for me and my family. I certainly will never be able to repay you."

"That isn't why we did it, Carlisle," Tanya said, and her face was so fierce that I thought for a moment that she would add something more forceful to her statement. Eleazar nodded in agreement with Tanya.

"I know," Carlisle said, smiling through his sudden solemnity. "And for that I also thank you, Tanya. But enough! You must think I want to ruin the party atmosphere."

"Too late!" shouted Jacob. Renesmee swatted him on the arm, but some of the vampires laughed.

"To the New Year," Carlisle said, raising his glass.

"TO THE NEW YEAR!" The roar deafened me as twenty vampires and six humans raised their voices together, thrusting their empty glasses high into the night air. Struck by the energy of the people around me, I raised my glass as well.

Over her shoulder, Tanya smiled at me and raised her glass again. "To the New Year!"

"To the New Year!" The crowd repeated, more joyously than before.

"To the New Year," I agreed, my eyes on the captivating woman before me.

_And whatever good things it may hold..._


End file.
